unmerciful

adjective

un·​mer·​ci·​ful ˌən-ˈmər-si-fəl How to pronounce unmerciful (audio)
1
: not merciful : merciless
2
: excessive, extreme
chatted for an unmerciful length of time
unmercifully adverb

Examples of unmerciful in a Sentence

she went into an unmerciful level of detail about her latest health problems the critics were unmerciful in their assessments of the young actress's performance
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
His take on Prince Philip is both humanizing and unmerciful, cutting to the bone of a man portrayed in contradictory terms — petulant yet statesmanlike, intensely ambitious yet ineffectual, relatable one minute and contemptible the next. Will Harris, EW.com, 30 July 2024 The temperature climbed as more gas pushed and compressed itself into the small space, and the heat became unmerciful, exacerbated by the syrupy sensation of the increasingly dense atmosphere. Rachel Lance, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024 In Nazi ideology, descent was destiny—inescapable, unmerciful, and total. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 20 July 2023 What hit viewers, then and now, with the strength of an unmerciful iceberg is how entirely uncynical this movie is. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2022 How have Willis and Kastor excelled for 20 years and more in that unmerciful context? Roger Robinson, Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2021 Trying to end an unmerciful beating, Astudillo haplessly threw three pitches to Mercedes that were all called balls (and that averaged about 45 mph). Scott Jennings, CNN, 20 May 2021 Reaction to the couple's decision was swift and unmerciful. Danielle Campoamor, refinery29.com, 7 May 2021 In his portrayals of inmates, victims, and legal advocates, a cautious theme emerges: the prospect of a democratic solution—born of popular will—to an unmerciful system of justice. The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unmerciful was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near unmerciful

Cite this Entry

“Unmerciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmerciful. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

unmerciful

adjective
un·​mer·​ci·​ful ˌən-ˈmər-si-fəl How to pronounce unmerciful (audio)
ˈən-
: not merciful : merciless, cruel
unmercifully adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unmerciful

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!